5 Favorite Kitchen Tools … So Far

Limited prep and storage space means mealtime in an RV or any small kitchen can be a little challenging. Here On Nowhere Road, we’re always on the lookout for tools that help us streamline meal prep in limited space and keep the mess to a minimum, especially since once we’re all finished eating one of our delicious gourmet meals (well, basic and nourishing, at least), our only dishwasher is us. Here’s a rundown of 5 favorite items that we’ve been using over and over and enjoying tasty results without a kitchen mess meltdown.

Instant Pot – We have the 3 quart Lux Mini 6 in 1 model. Most people seem to go for a 6 quart model, but the 3 quart fits in our space and is all we need for the two of us. We usually get two meals out of each use of our Instant Pot and cook a lot of bean dishes, soups, stews and easy to peel hard boiled eggs in it. One of our favorite features of the Instant Pot is that we can saute vegetables or sear meat, then throw in the rest of our ingredients and finish cooking in the same pot. The model we have is available on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2BpWHfX (affiliate link) (our full review of the Instant Pot 3 quart Lux Mini is here).

Preparation for making black bean soup in the Instant Pot

George Forman 4 serving grill and panini press – For many years, we wondered what the appeal was with George Forman grills. It wasn’t until we became full time RVers that we began to see the benefits of having one. Since we have limited storage space and there are only two of us, we opted for the 4 serving grill/panini press. It comes in very handy when we don’t want to fire up the propane stove or use our outdoor grill. Even when grilling chicken breast on the Forman, no additional fat for cooking is necessary. And it’s fast – depending on the size of a chicken breast, we can make a salad or steam some broccoli while the chicken cooks and have a meal ready in 10 minutes or less. When grilling burgers or a steak, the fat drains into an easy to clean drip tray. We love grilled cheese sandwiches from time to time and get great results using it as a panini press. You can check out the George Forman 4 serving grill and panini press on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2svcZRQ (affiliate link).

Magic Bullet – Before we became full-time RVers, we had a full size blender that we used a lot for smoothies (and maybe a few margaritas 😉 ) but that blender broke just before we hit the road. We didn’t replace it immediately and for a few months, went without our favorite blueberry banana smoothies. As it turns out, we’re happy that we waited to replace it because it was during that time that we discovered the Magic Bullet. If you’ve never seen or used one, it’s a single serve portable personal blender and takes up very little space. You can blend up whatever you want and drink from the same cup you did the blending in, which is very convenient. It’s simple to use and comes with three different size cups, lids and a recipe book with lots of great ideas, including quick homemade salsa, hummus, coffees, cocktails and many other quick, small portion recipes. The Magic Bullet that we have is available on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2HeePKj (affiliate link)

Electric Kettle – We both love coffee in the morning and espresso or tea in the afternoon. Coffee purists will cringe, but we have discovered the joys of instant coffee. Not just any instant coffee, but one particular brand, Buendia by Juan Valdez 100% Colombian Freeze Dried Coffee. The joys of instant coffee for people like us include less mess and trash and conservation of water since there are no used filters to dispose of or percolator baskets to be cleaned. We’ve found having an electric kettle (or if we don’t have electric available, a stove top version to use with our propane stove) to be very handy for coffee, tea, cocoa, soups, etc. The one we use is available on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2Buyrtg (affiliate link)

Getting ready for a little tea and espresso

Cast Iron Skillet – I simply love this pan and would never want to be without it, not only because it’s easy to clean and great for making the best crispy pan fried potatoes and onions or crispy pan fried anything for that matter, but also because it belonged to my Great-Grandmother and I remember watching her use it in her kitchen. My guess is that it’s at least 50 years old. This is the one pan that will always be with me.

Fried okra in Great Granny’s cast iron skillet

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